TheFW » Japan

Japan Goes There With Mayo Pizza

Jeremy Taylor — Sun, 20 Jan 2013 22:30:26 +0000

America’s controversial condiment just became Japan’s newest pizza topping… Even the egg-based spread’s more ardent supporters would acknowledge that there is something about the taste, color and texture of mayo that makes it dodgy companion for some foods. Pizza is probably one of those foods. Yet in Japan (a nation often described as “mayonnaise obsessed”) Domino’s is rolling out a [...]

Tuna Sells For a Cool $1.76 Million Dollars

Jeremy Taylor — Sun, 06 Jan 2013 23:30:25 +0000

It’s a story that should make everybody want to invest in a fishing boat. A 489 pound bluefish tuna caught off the coast of Japan has just been sold for $1.76 million during an auction at Toyko’s Tsukiji fish market. It is the most money ever paid for a single fish, shattering the previous mark of [...]

The World's Shortest Escalator

Tom Blunt — Sun, 06 Jan 2013 16:30:37 +0000

Here’s one tourist attraction that won’t leave you breathless! Located in Tokyo, Japan, the escalator lowers you a mere 32.8 inches. This modest distinction has earned it a Guinness World Record for ‘World’s Shortest Escalator,’ a category which we can only imagine must be quite competitive. This video’s creator rode the escalator a total of [...]

Japanese Burger King Offers All-You-Can-Eat Burger And Fries

Jeremy Taylor — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 18:30:35 +0000

Japan, you confuse us so. First you tell us about Pepsi Special, which actually makes you lose weight. Today we find out that Burger King Japan offers an all-you-can-eat deal. What do you want from us?! Stop with the mixed messages! The promotion, which is in celebration of the fifth anniversary of BK’s return to Japan, runs until [...]

Japanese Pepsi Could Actually Make You Skinnier

Jeremy Taylor — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 18:10:42 +0000

First there was soda, carbonated sugar water that was sure to expand your waistline. Then there was "diet" soda, which didn't add any calories to the equation but was sweetened with chemicals that may not be so great for you.

Now, in Japan, there is something called Pepsi Special. This drink is so chock-full of chemicals -- mainly indigestible dextrin -- that there are claims it can actually make you skinnier.

Japan Made a Mind-Reading Tail For Some Reason

Emerald Catron — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 20:15:29 +0000

Just in case you need everybody to always know exactly how you feel and exactly where you felt that way AND you need it to happen while wearing a tail that interprets your mood based on an EEG, this is the product for you.

10 Things You Didn't Know About Ninjas

Danny Gallagher — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 14:12:29 +0000

The ninjutsu, better known as ninjas, are a bit of mystery, especially when it comes to their origins. Historians believe the practice is a mix of different cultural self-defenses and philosophies from a mix of eastern nations. We like to think it’s all part of the ninjas’ plans to make them even more feared, unseen and mysterious.

Want to Protect Your Car? Try a 'Butt Scanner'

Jeremy Taylor — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 21:25:04 +0000

If the folks at Japan’s Advanced Institute of Industrial Technology have their way, providing car security will be as simple as reading contours on the driver’s rear. Which, it turns out, isn’t simple at all. The anti-theft device that these possibly mad-scientists have developed — which scans the backside of whomever has just plopped down [...]

Japanese Soccer Player Scores on Longest Header Ever [VIDEO]

Jeremy Taylor — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 22:06:12 +0000

Fagiano Okayama defender Ryujiro Ueda set a world record for scoring a professional soccer goal from a little beyond the midfield line — or 64 yards away. If you are wondering how a player could possible score with his or her head from so far out, the answer is atrocious goal keeping. [via The Daily What]

Bizarre Japanese Band 'Baby Metal' Combines Bubble Gum Pop With Heavy Metal [VIDEO]

Jeremy Taylor — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 20:12:13 +0000

Sakura Gakuin is a Japanese girl group dress in school girl uniforms and sing sugary pop songs. But, because Japan always likes to keep it weird, some of the young ladies from Sakura Gakuin are also involved in a side project, Baby Metal, in which those syrupy lyrics are backed by a thrash metal band.

Japan Unveils Strawberry Milk-Flavored Cola 'Pepsi Pink'

Jeremy Taylor — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 22:00:41 +0000

Here in America, soft drink companies generally avoid pink beverages, as blush-colored bottled liquids will surely remind consumers of the chalky antacid medicine Pepto-Bismol.

Apparently that's not a problem in Japan, where, on November 8th, Pepsi will launch a seasonal flavor called Pepsi Pink, which is described as having "the rich aroma and refreshing taste of strawberry milk flavored cola."

Japan Has a Hair Washing Robot [VIDEO]

Jeremy Taylor — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 13:00:20 +0000

Leave it to Japan to develop a hair washing robot. So far it looks like they are only using it on mannequins. It’s only a matter of time before the robots move from hair washing to human subjugation. Watch below. [via Viral Viral Videos]

Surgery to Make Straight Teeth Crooked Now a Trend in Japan [VIDEO]

Dylan Schenker — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 15:37:51 +0000

Decades of advances in orthodontics have conditioned us to think it’s healthy and more attractive to straighten our teeth out with braces or dental surgery. However, a new procedure popular amongst young Japanese women that actually makes teeth crooked is countering that notion. The resulting looks vary from natural-looking snaggleteeth to exagerrated, elongated canines that resemble [...]

Japanese Trailer for 'Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol' Evokes Original 'MI' [VIDEO]

Bob Sassone — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 16:54:59 +0000

Different countries have different versions of movie trailers and TV spots for movies — and sometimes the international editions are better than their stateside counterparts, like this Japanese preview for ‘Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol.’ Not only is the spot longer than the TV ads airing in the United States, this version is better because [...]

Woman Sets World Record for Fastest Jump Roping [VIDEO]

Jeremy Taylor — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 15:31:06 +0000

Japan’s Megumi Suzuki is now holds the Guinness World Record for the most times skipping rope in 30 seconds. Watch her jump an amazing 162 times in the video below: [via BuzzFeed]

Acrobat Climbs 15 Stairs on His Head [VIDEO]

Jeremy Taylor — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 15:06:25 +0000

Appearing on the TV show ‘Guinness World Records Japan,’ Chinese acrobat Sun Xi Zhong set the world record for Most Stairs Climbed on the Head by scaling an incredible 15 steps using only his noggin. Zhong looks pretty shaky at the beginning of the stunt, and it doesn’t seem like he could possibly make it all [...]

World's Shortest Train Blazes Through Japan [VIDEO]

Chip Sandalwood — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 18:15:17 +0000

You've probably heard of the Smart Car but what about the Smart Train? Filmed near the Tokyu Ikegami Station in Ōta, Tokyo, this Japanese micro-train blazes through the frame so fast, you might miss it if you blink. Sure there may be some editing trickery going on in this clip (the YouTube comments indicate that Tokyo doesn't have much of a need for a single-axle train), but a commuter can dream, can't he?

Therapeutic (and Adorable!) Robot Seals Provide Relief to Elderly Japanese Tsunami Survivors [VIDEO]

Chip Sandalwood — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 21:29:04 +0000

With Japanese media reporting that more than half of the country's recent tsunami and earthquake victims were over 65 years of age, the road to mental and physical recovery for many of Japan's elderly survivors has been especially tough.

Thanks to Japanese company Daiwa House, elderly survivors at the Suisyoen retirement facility are finding comfort in the companionship of two affectionate, robot seals nicknamed Peace and Love. And they might just be the cutest therapists ever.